Tips needed: Stripped screw
Welcome! / Forums / General Woodworking Discussions / Tools and Tool Maintenance/Restoration / Tips needed: Stripped screw
- This topic has 7 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 3 months ago by YrHenSaer.
-
AuthorPosts
-
12 January 2015 at 10:19 pm #123446
Currently, I am trying to restore an old No. 4 plane, but one of the screw that holds secures the slanted piece (don’t know the exact name for it, English isn’t my native language) to the shoe, is completely stripped. It’s an old round headed, flat head screw. It’s completely stripped, can’t get a decent grip on it.
Unfortunately for me, I can’t reach it properly with a grinder or rotary tool.Has anyone any suggestions to at least get the screw out?
12 January 2015 at 11:16 pm #123451I think the name your looking for is a frog and they can be a bugger sometimes. This is a million dollar question cause there are many ways to approach this problem depending on whats left sticking up through the top there. If there is not a head left at all you need to flatten the top as best you can to get a sharp punch in the center so you can make an indention for a drill bit to sit in Then slowly, ” Very slowly “, began to drill a small hole down the center. You can try an easy out but if you break off the easy out inside , well I dont want to even mention how bad that would be so lets dont do that. I would step drill the screw out moving up in 64” increments without damaging the threads in the casting. You can always re thread the casting but with some careful drilling and luck you can keep from damaging the threads once you get to the size of the screw shank or just a tad below you should be able to work it out with a sharp object like a hard steal small pointy thing. lol. Thats what I do anyway. Do you have the other screw out. If not take it out first and see if you can twist the frog just enough to break loose the stripped screw . not sure if this is possible. What type of plane is it.If your not comfortable take it to a machine shop and see if they will do it for you.. Hope this helps. Good Luck Chris
13 January 2015 at 2:58 am #123456I would give a left twist drill bit a try, similar concept to the easy out but with less risk. Google the technique, I buy mine at a local fastener store.
13 January 2015 at 4:27 pm #123463Thanks for all the tips, I’ll give it a go to drill it out, since the head is completely stripped. I think someone else tried to remove it and stripped the screw pretty bad.
I’ve removed all other screws and taken it apart, except for this bugger.
It’s a Gateshead Rapier 400 plane, which took quite a beating, but the sole is flat.14 January 2015 at 2:49 am #123489Ok I see Hey If you can grind, drill, or file the head off you can remove the frog and then get a pair of vice grips on whats left sticking up. That should get that bugger. Lol wht they call them a pair of vice grips is beyond me there’s only one don’t get it . Lol
Arne,you could try this method,
take a good firm screwdriver and put it in the groove of the screw than hit the screwdriver on the handle with a hammer,back here in Holland we call that ” scaring the screw”.
We use this method alot with the renovation of old houses and it works most[not always]of the time.Spray some oil on it [the screw] first to loosen up the rust.
Good luckI agree that a hammer can sometimes loosen a tight screw, but be careful that the base is well supported. You don’t want to crack the casting; these plane bases are brittle and will break at the weakest point, usually beside the throat.
It’s not certain if your problem is a jammed thread, a damaged slot so that you can’t apply leverage or both.
Here’s how I’d tackle this problem:
First put some penetrating oil around the screw and leave it overnight.
Next try to file out a new slot or widen the remains of the old one with a broken hacksaw blade.
Heat will often help loosen tight metal work. In this case not enough heat to distort or soften the metal, but enough to make it all expand a little. The safest way is to get a house-brick with a flat side. Put it in an oven for an hour or so at about 200 C. It will retain it’s heat for a long time after you take it out, Rest the sole on the flat part of the brick and allow it to transfer heat from the brick and get hot.
Put the plane onto a flat board and with a screw driver in the slot, apply constant pressure anti-clockwise to undo the screw, at the same time giving the screwdriver repeated light taps with a hammer. Lost of rapid light taps, combined with a screwdriver turning are better than heavy blows and should not damage the metal. you may need to repeat the process.
Good luck because if this fails, the next stage is a drill! -
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.